One shots of 15AII
by Ivy-7208
Summary: Just a bunch of completely random one shots about the 15-A-II Rangers. Ratings may differ between chapters but I'll put a warning in the authors note if necessary. Starship belongs to the supermegafoxyawesomehot Team StarKid. I only own nothing.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: **Ok, this is gonna be a series of completely random one-shots about the Rangers from Starship 15-A-II. These were all writen out of pure boredom, usually at about 2am. Anyway, hope you enjoy them, I may add to this from time to time but chapters most likely will not relate to each other in the slightest. Enjoy!_

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><p>Did I know you?<p>

Taz felt several hands clap her on the shoulder as the people stood around her left one by one. Soon she was the only one left, keeping her silent vigil over the grey marble slab that marked where her best friend slept. Beneath a layer of dirt, mud and other debris. She glanced at the order of service clutched on her numb fingers. So many people had spoken about him, stories she had never heard. From his time at the League before she had joined, even a couple from his childhood. She had thought she knew the man, prided herself on it even. People had always suggested that she knew him better than anyone. Taz had taken it as a fact. She stared at the picture on the cover, a rare shot of him laughing. A tear hit him right on the nose as realisation hit Taz like a wet fish. Only once it was too late did she realise how little she had known about Up.


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: **Okay, so this one is less depressing than the last one. Enjoy!_

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><p>Confidence<p>

Specs sat alone in the mess hall, watching the other recruits talk and laugh in their little groups. She wished she could join in, had the confidence to just walk over and talk to people. This was gonna be just like high school, when no-one spoke to her unless they'd forgotten to do their homework. A particularly loud outburst of laughter from the group on the table next to hers made her glance up. A young man with messy hair and wearing his hat backwards appeared to have just told a joke. He caught her eye and she hastily looked back at her plate, pushing her glasses back up her nose as she felt heat flood her cheeks. A moment later she felt rather than saw him sit opposite her. Specs chewed her lip, wondering what he wanted.

"Hey," her head snapped up as he spoke. "I'm Krayonder, what's your name?"

Specs struggled to find her voice.

"S-s-specs." she replied, cursing herself for sounding so sputtery and pushing her glasses back up her nose.

He smiled, it was infectious, Specs found herself smiling back.

"Awesome, wanna come sit with us? They don't bite!" he laughed as she looked apprehensively at the loud table.

"O-okay."

Specs picked up her tray and followed Krayonder back to his table. He sat and made everyone scoot over to make room for her next to him.

"Everyone, this is Specs. Specs, everyone." he announced by way of introduction.

Specs gave them a shy smile and pushed her glasses up her nose again. Talk broke out again, Specs was perfectly happy to just sit and listen to Krayonder tease the girl opposite about her crush on the famous Commander Up. For the first time in a while she was included, maybe later she would join in the conversation but for now, as she glanced at Krayonder and he tipped her a wink, she knew she had a friend. That was good enough for her.


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: **Okay, I have just realised how depressing a lot of my one shots actually are... Hmmm. Anyway, I shall strive to write happier ones in future! Here's another one I found kicking about. Enjoy!_

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><p>Funeral<p>

Taz had never been to a real funeral before. People died every day, of course they did and this was a war. But usually when someone died there was no body to bury, robots were very thorough in that way. Leaving nothing but a small pile of ash and maybe a set of dog tags or a badge. When her family had died there was no-one left to collect the bodies. For the first time Taz wondered what had become of them. The thought that they had just been left to dry out and decay in the Mexican sun made her feel physically sick, but it was too late now. Five years too late.

...

Taz stood as the first hymn started and the wooden coffin was carried down the aisle by four men in black suits and wearing very sombre expressions. The thing that struck her first was how small the box seemed. Surely he hadn't been that small? Perhaps it was because he was always so loud, had such an enormous personality. She sat next to Up and stared at her clasped hands as people stood one by one to share stories and kind words. It seemed to Taz, as she chanced a glance around, that every available member of the Galactic League of Extraterrestrial Exploration had shown up for the funeral and she knew from the little winks of reflected light that the ceremony was being broadcast across the solar system.

An Ambassador from some far-flung planet returned to his seat and Up shifted beside her, standing and making his way to the front. As one of the League's most famous commanders he had been asked to say a few words on behalf of the rangers and despite what he appeared to the rest of the congregation, Taz knew he was nervous. Indeed, Taz had to suppress a small smile as she remembered him pacing his living quarters, reciting his speech over and over. He may be one of the League's best rangers but he did not like life in the spotlight one bit.

...

Up reached the front and cleared his throat. He spoke of the recently deceased Head of the G.L.E.E. with a fondness that was rarely heard by anyone except Taz. As he spoke she let her eyes roam to the front rows. The seats there had been reserved for ambassadors and other dignitaries from across the galaxy. She recognised the ambassador from Farm Planet, wearing black dungarees for the occasion and sobbed unrestrainedly into the shoulder of the President of the United States of America who, in turn, dabbed her eyes on the sleeve of her dress. A few rows in front she could make out Doctor Space-Claw dressed in his usual black suit and on his right Junior in matching clothes. She could almost see the badly disguised smirk on Junior's face. He had always been full of himself but since his father had been named the new head of the League he had become almost unbearable. The worst of it was that Taz could no longer get away with stabbing him when he got too cocky and he knew it. She worried about Space-Claw. It was common knowledge that he had a thing for robotics but many in the League seemed to see this as an advantage. Taz was not so sure. She looked back to the front as Up stepped down, saluted stiffly to the little wooden box and returned to his seat.

"How'd I do?" he said out of the side of his mouth.

"Perfecto." she muttered as everyone stood for the anthem of the G.L.E.E. and the men in suits returned and hoisted the coffin back onto their shoulders. The assorted ambassadors followed along behind, leading the rest of the assembled Rangers as they approached the air lock doors. Taz stood close to Up as the coffin was lowered into the air lock and the inner doors hissed shut. More words were spoken but Taz hardly heard them. She hung her head as a familiar lump formed in her throat and the corners of her eyes prickled. She wasn't sure why she was crying, she had hardly known the man. Yet she could not deny the impact he had had on her life. He had been the one who had believed in her and let her into the League early. He had been the one who had allowed Up to mentor her. He had been the one to come to her in person to congratulate her when she had been made Lieutenant. If not for him she didn't know where she'd be but she doubted it would be anywhere good. She felt Up thread his arm around her shoulder as Doctor Space-Claw stepped forward and opened the outer air lock doors. Committing his predecessors' body to the stars as per tradition. Through the large window Taz saw the wooden box explode as the pressure of space became too much.


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N:** This one is not depressing! Horaaaay! Enjoy!_

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><p>Jigsaws<p>

Lieutenant Up heaved a sigh as he stepped off the Starship at the G.L.E.E. headquarters. That mission had been far too long. Eighteen months in outer space and, to make matters worse, eighteen months without Taz. He had missed the quick tempered Mexican almost unbearably. Not that he'd tell her that, he was a tough son-of-a-bitch after all. Nonetheless he was looking forward greatly to seeing her again and so it was with a spring in his step that he approached the reception desk to be registered safe and dismissed to his quarters.

The little bell sung merrily as he waited for assistance, a small girl appeared from a side door. She had shoulder length dark hair that covered her face as she assessed some complicated notes attached to a clipboard, her light blue skirt floated around her knees as she spun around with surprising agility to put the clipboard on top of a tottering pile of papers. Turning to face Up she lifted her head at last and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She caught sight of him and her face split into a bright smile as she saw his jaw drop.

"Up! Welcome back! How was de mission?"

Up tried to tell her that it had gone fine, it was good to be back, even that he had missed her. The words would not come. All he could do was stand, looking a bit like a goldfish. Shocked, seeing her smiling like this was the most normal thing in the world.

"Taz!" he managed to splutter.

She giggled. Up had never heard Taz _giggle_ before in his life and the sound made the hairs on the back of his neck prickle unpleasantly.

"Who else would I be?"

"It's just... you seem kinda... I, um." Up stumbled over his words as his mind went into free-fall.

The Taz I know hates skirts. The Taz I know doesn't _giggle_, especially not in public. The Taz I _thought_ I knew was a tomboy, a tough son-of-a-bitch, my best friend. What the hell happened when I was gone?

Taz was still giggling.

"So, uh, how've you been? You've grown since I left!" he said half heartedly.

Taz hopped on the desk and showed him her feet.

"Dat's because I wear heels, silly."

This comment didn't sound like Taz. Too cutesy. No confusing Spanish insults, no 'idiota'. Up sighed and ran a hand through his grey-flecked hair.

"Taz, what happened to you? You've changed." Tazs face morphed into a strange little smile as she beckoned him closer.

"I have changed, Up. Jou left me behind to go off on a mission. I changed because of you. You don't even know me anymore."

Up looked at her, he saw the honesty and sadness in those chocolate brown orbs.  
>….<p>

Up jolted awake as the Starship docked with headquarters. He sat up and shook his head, like a dog trying to get water out of its ear. Disembarking after his Commander he approached the reception desk somewhat apprehensively. A bubbly blond in Ranger uniform checked him in and he breathed out slowly. What was he even afraid of? It had just been a stupid dream. No way had Taz changed _that_ much. Even so he worried, what if..? Up vaguely heard the Commander dismiss him and snapped into a salute automatically. He reached his quarters on autopilot and stood back as the doors hissed open. The first thing he noticed was Taz sprawled on his couch, wearing her traditional vest and combats, hair up on end as usual.

Her head snapped up as the door hissed shut again.

"Hola, Up!" he was glad to hear the familiar Spanish greeting. "How'd de mission go?"

He shrugged, depositing his bag in the middle of the floor and flopping next to her.

"Pretty routine. Boring as hell but we all made it back."  
>…...<p>

Conversation broke out and Up marvelled at how easy it was, as if he'd only been absent for eighteen minuets rather than months. That's the thing about a best friend. No matter how long you're apart, you fit back into place like pieces in a jigsaw puzzle.


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N: **Hi! Okay, I get bored easy, that's why I write these really. BUT I need ideas for when I have none. Soooooo my request is this: SEND ME PROMPTS! Just like words or phrases I can use as inspiration. Thanks! :D_

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><p>Emotions<p>

Over the years, Ultrabeam Megagirl strived to understand the concept of human emotion. After her successful acquisition of 'love' she continued to download the strange feeling whenever she deemed them necessary. On the day Tootsie was awarded a medal for his bravery on Bug Planet she downloaded 'pride'. When Specs and Krayonder were married she downloaded 'joy' and joined in the celebrations wholeheartedly. At Commander Up's funeral she gained 'grief', 'sadness' and 'empathy'. Not a year after this, Tootsie Megagirl died. His send off was characteristically simple and there were plenty of stacks of hay in attendance. Megagirl took up position beside his headstone that evening. She knew it was illogical, pointless even. She knew as the clouds rolled across the sun that she would rust. But the grief was still raw; it held her in her place. She was still there to see Taz lowered gently into the space beside Up. She witnessed Specs and later Krayonder covered by the dirt. Her joints seized up, circuits fizzed and lights on her chest-plate faded. As a robot she could not die. Without her husband and her friends she could not live.


	6. Chapter 6

The Dead Star

Krayonder and Taz almost jolted out of their chairs as their pod crashed. Taz said something undoubtedly rude in Spanish as she threw off the harness keeping her in her seat and stalked out of the ship. Krayonder sighed and followed.

When he located Taz she had her head and shoulders through the maintenance hatch and was evidently trying to restart the ships engine. The entire nose of the vehicle was caved in on impact and it was clearly hopeless but he didn't dare point that out. He recalled all too well what Taz could do when she was in a mood and he didn't wanna get stabbed again. Instead he pulled the radio from his belt. The screen was cracked vertically, hotdog style, the casing had split along the join and the call button was missing. He let the now useless lump of plastic fall to the floor and sat down on the dusty ground. Glancing around the entire rock was covered in something similar to ash and he felt a dull warmth from beneath him, they must be on a dead star. Krayonder lay back and put his hands behind his head to cushion it from the rough surface just as Taz spun around.

"What de hell are jou doin'" she demanded, "At least radio Up or somet'ing!"

"Can't do it man. Radio's shot." he tilted his head towards the broken communication device, "But chill out dude. Up'll come."

Taz flung herself down beside him, legs crossed, one hand holding her zapper at the ready.

"Jou don't know dat."

"'Course he'll come. You're here." Taz fell silent. After a moment Krayonder put his hand on Tazs shoulder and slowly made her lie down.

"Now what de hell are jou doin'?"

He simply said "Look." Taz looked.

"Its de sky, so what?"

"No, man, really look. You can see all the stars and planets from here. Sometimes, with all the fighting and stuff I forget how beautiful they are and that they're part of the reason I wanted to be a Ranger. Ya know?"

Taz did know. She watched the little lights wink above and around her, wishing on every shooting star. Krayonder might be an idiot at the best of times but he had a habit of surprising them all by saying the most profound things.

Not that she'd tell him that. 


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N:** Okay, so this is more like nine little stories but they all link so I've published them together._

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><p>Names<p>

Up had a real name, once. It was long and bothersome and he had hated it. He had hated it so much that now he couldn't remember any more than the first letter, 'J'. The last person to ever call him it had been his mother. Another reason he hated it. It reminded him of the life he had lost that day. It was much easier to try to forget about the old name. Just create a new life, along with a new name. 'Up'. Simple. Easy to spell. A goal.

Tootsie was constantly changing his name. It was the downside of Farm Planet tradition. Over the course of his childhood he had changed his name so often that he had learnt to just look up whenever anyone spoke, just in case they were addressing him.

Junior quite liked his first name. But his last name, Space-Claw? He would never forgive his father for that. It was really quite witty at first when the press invented the absurd play on his real last name, Smyth-Claw. But to legally change it! No. Junior would defiantly never forgive him.

Bug was given his name by his best friend who he, in turn, had named Roach. On Bug Planet no-one has time to name every newborn bug. You usually have to pick your own. It was unusual to have someone choose it for you. Most bugs are too busy working for the good of the hive to form a friendship like Bugs and Roaches.

Taz hated her full name. It was fancy and girly and flowery. Everything she wasn't. Since the age of five she had refused to answer to it, much to her Mamas dismay. Taz, she felt, sounded much more like her. Short. Tough. Easy to spell.

Specs had hated her nickname in high school, where it was yelled across the classroom at her. Insults usually followed by balled up paper or spit balls. When she got to the League things changed. Here the name 'Specs' was a term of endearment used by those closest to her, rather than an insult.

February loved her name. Her only problem was that people just didn't understand that she was February the person, not the month. Honestly! Some people could be so silly!

Krayonder hadn't been called by his first name since he joined high school. At his school the teachers had the old fashioned habit of addressing students by surname when they were in trouble. Krayonder was always getting in trouble, a truth that had continued into the Academy and beyond.

Megagirl didn't really understand the concept of 'names'. Humans were very confusing on that matter. There were people like Taz who shortened their full names. Ones like 'Specs' whose chosen name was more of a description. Then there was her husband, who changed his name at the drop of a hat. Megagirl much preferred her own twelve digit reference number that defined her from the other Megagirl units.


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N:** Not sure how much sense this one makes. I wrote it at about 4am. But yeah… see what you think!_

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><p>Family<p>

Taz stared at the faded picture in her hands. She had come across it whilst snooping through Ups desk. Despite the fold lines and smudges she could make out what seemed to be a happy family, smiling for the camera. At the front of the group stood a woman, laughing as she watched the antics of a small boy sat by her feet. A man in Ranger uniform, although it was unlike any Taz had ever seen, stood beside the woman. He had his arm draped around her waist as he smiled proudly at his little family. Taz fixed her gaze on the little boy, was that _Up_? The child was staring straight into the camera, straight at Taz; she looked back into eyes she knew so well, how had she never asked Up about his past? He knew hers.

She was jolted out of her thoughts by the soft 'whoosh' of the door opening behind her. She threw the photo back onto the desk and spun around; assembling her features unto what she hoped was an innocent expression. Up was not fooled. He threw his kit bag into a corner and limped over to stand beside her. As he glanced at the desk Taz started chewing her lip, he was gonna kill her for sure. He picked up the image in his human, left hand and just stared at it. The silence was unbearable, Taz had to break it.

"Wh-who are dey? Up?"

He looked around; Taz was relieved to see a smile, albeit a sad one.

"My parents." he said, gruffly. Taz pointed to the little boy.

"Is dat jou?" Up nodded.

"Yeah, I'm about seven there. Pop was a Ranger, like us. He was home on planet leave so Nana had us all stand together and took this." There was a faraway look in his eyes as he spoke. He seemed to look straight through her, into the memory of a time lost long ago. Taz was itching to know more but she didn't push it. She knew, probably better than most, what he was feeling. Up shook his head and carefully folded the picture before replacing it in his desk drawer.

"Still," he placed a hand on Tazs shoulder, gently but firmly leading her away from his desk. "I have another family now."


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N:** As requested by DeleaMarie! Specs and Krayonder at the academy!_

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><p>Revision<p>

Krayonder screwed up his eyes for what felt like the thousandth time as he tried desperately to recall the formulae for the calibration if the hyper drive jump. He groaned and planted his forehead against the table in front of him.

"Why do I need to know this, Specs? The mainframe computers on any if the Starships do all this rubbish for us nowadays."

He turned his head slightly to keep his study partner in view as she quickly hid her smile. The man had a point but that wouldn't help him learn.

"And what if the computer breaks down and you have to do it manually?"

"I'll just ask you?" he suggested hopefully.

Specs chuckled sadly.

"Krayonder, you do realise we might not be assigned to the same ship, right?"

He did realise. He just didn't want to think about it. Specs was his best friend. She was the only one at the Academy to do more than just put up with his impulsiveness and what she described as 'dramatics'.

She was sweet and smart and she drove him to be a better man because of it. She had finished her exams the day before. She should be out having fun and celebrating. Instead she was here, helping and encouraging him.

He knew that they would probably be split up. Deep down he knew it was almost certain. He knew that there was a distinct possibility that they would never see each other again. He knew it but he couldn't think about it.

Instead he kept those thoughts locked away, to look through them too much was like prodding an open wound. It defiantly won't make it go away and will more than likely make it worse.

He finally removed his head from the table and looked Specs right in the eye.

"You're not getting rid of me that easily, man"

He meant it.


	10. Chapter 10

_**A/N:** I know he's not a Ranger… I just love Roach, Okay? Good. Enjoy!_

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><p>Lonely<p>

Roach could do nothing but watch.

He saw the hideous creature that now held the conscious of his best friend run off. He saw the joy in the strange yet familiar eyes as his actions gained a nod of approval from the tall male with the furry lip. He saw Bug get in the flying machine and not look back.  
>He knew that this was Bugs one chance to live his dream. He knew he should feel happy for his friend, he did feel happy for him.<p>

Unfortunately Roach was a rather small bug and had limited room for it amongst all the things he was feeling.

Sad, lost, lonely.

Despite the many occasions Bug had got both of them in trouble, Roach missed him. The crazy orange insect had saved his life and been like a brother to him ever since.

Now he's gone without so much as a... a what, exactly?

He'd said goodbye, albeit briefly.

What else was there to say?

...

He returned to the slime pit in low spirits.

"What's the matter honeypot?" crooned the Overqueen. "Why the long slime hole?"

Roach wanted to tell her everything. About Bug leaving and abandoning him. How he felt like Bug had new best friends now.

But he didn't.

He didn't want Bug to get in even more trouble. He put on a smile.

"I'm fine, sweetie. Just remembered something." Roach flew outside the hive.

The planet was darkening and crickets sang into the dusk. The small, purple bug settled on a large rock and stared out at the stars.

He wondered if Bug was up there somewhere, looking at the same pinpricks of light from his new perspective.


	11. Chapter 11

Call of Duty

Travelling through space can get incredibly boring. There is a limit to how many stars can pass a window before it gets old. As such, the crew of any Starship has to find ways to occupy themselves during particularly long flights. Starship 15AII is no exception.

On the trip back from Bug World the crew was even more bored than usual. You would think that having a new crew member in the form of a large orange bug, the prospect of explaining Space-Claws plot to the G.L.E.E. and the aftermath of the wedding of Tootsie and Megagirl could provide some source of conversation, and for about seventeen time-cycles it did, but by the time they had reached the first refuelling station boredom had set in once more.

At this point I suppose I should explain refuelling stations. These are like a cross between a gas station and a space station. Ships are refuelled and, when necessary, repaired whilst the crew stops off to pick up supplies from the small shop. Things like food and such can be purchased from the smaller ones whereas larger stations can go as far as pillows or, in this case, video games.

Busy with their relevant tasks and glad of something to actually do, it wasn't until the evening that the crew found out about Krayonders solution to their boredom. Gathered, as per usual, in the living area of the ship, Specs, Tootsie, February, Bug and Taz sat watching a truly epic game of chess between February and Bug.

Neither party knew the rules.

Megagirl was watching the ships controls, Up was nowhere to be seen and Krayonder?... Well, Krayonder had crawled behind the view screen a half hour ago and his presence was evident only because of the occasional curse being thrown.

All at once there was a cry from the corner and Krayonder appeared looking slightly singed and with his hair stuck up at weird angles but there was triumph in his expression as he turned the screen on to display an options menu. Specs was the first to voice the most obvious question.  
>"What is that?"<br>"Call of Duty! I figured we could use some entertainment." Krayonder whipped out a couple of handsets and grinned around the room.  
>"Anyone want a game?"<p>

As it was, everyone wanted a game. Specs, ever organised, whipped up a rota on her spectrometer which ended up being ignored as Tootsie and Taz took up the controls.  
>"Jou're goin' down, idiota."<p>

Now, you would think that the toughest son-of-a-bitch Lieutenant in the Galactic League, hero of the robot war and youngest ranger ever accepted into the Academy would never be beaten at a shooting game by a country pumpkin like Tootsie Megagirl. Well, you'd be wrong. In fact, Taz lost all five of the games she played against Tootsie, her face growing steadily redder as the game went on.

But it was losing to Krayonder that finally made her snap. She let out a scream and hurled her controller at Bug who caught it with ease and set it carefully on the coffee table. As though summoned by the scream Up appeared in the doorway.  
>"What's all this then?"<br>He glanced from Taz to the screen and back. He put two and two together as only someone who has known Taz for as long as he had can.

He laughed at her.

Taz stood in the middle of the room, anger and frustration coming off her in waves. If looks could kill then no-one would have left that room alive.


	12. Chapter 12

_This one was prompted over on my HMB fic but it fits in better here :D_

_Prompt: memberofWLM  
>I have a Starship prompt:<br>Maybe Bug finding out that there's more than just the bug world? For the first time?_

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><p>Bug stood with his antenna pressed against the window as Starship 15-A-II pulled further and further away from his home planet. In his minds eye he saw Roach watching from so far below and felt a twinge of sadness at the thought of his best friend.<p>

"You okay, Buggy?" asked February, coming up behind him and wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

"Yeah," Bug nodded his great orange head and turned away from the window. "It's just..."

DAMAGE REPORT... DAMAGE REPORT... STARSHIP RANGERS ASSEMBLE...

Megagirls robotic voice sounded over the speakers in the walls. Echoing down the metallic corridors and effectively cutting off Bugs sentence. His exoskeleton tingled with excitement and fear as he ran with February to the control room.

They skidded to a halt on the large control deck.

"What is it Up?" called Bug as the older man pressed several buttons on a console in the corner.

"Check engine light's just come on. Any reading from the warp crystals yet?" he asked over his shoulder.

"Possible Klystron Generator malfunction." answered Specs, pushing her glasses up her nose and consulting the screen of her Spectrometer. "Warp crystals are fine."

"Will we have to land to patch it up, Specs?" Up turned away from the controls and asked his engineer.

"I think it might be as well, sir, better safe than sorry."

In the end they decided on a short pit-stop on a planet they were just about to pass. Just to allow Specs time to check the outer engines.

"Specs, scan the surface of this planet. We need to know what's down there." Up spun back to the controls to change the direction they were headed and engage the landing sequences.

"Fascinating, it seems this is a previously uncharted dwarf planet. No idea what's on it."  
>This was surprising, it was not often they came across something Specs didn't know. In fact, Up was about to insist they landed somewhere they knew wasn't hostile when the left engine began smoking. Great white clouds of smoke billowed past the panoramic windscreen of the control deck, obliterating great swathes of the star-spangled sky into a dense white fog. Suddenly, landing on an unknown planet didn't seem too bad.<p>

The landing went as smoothly as could be expected when one is trying to land something the size of a large bungalow on one and a half engines. The first one out was, of course, Taz. Zapper drawn and set to 'Pew' she scanned the horizon before waving the others out. Specs and Krayonder shot off to assess the still-smoking engine, Megagirl following at a slower pace to act as their lookout while they worked. Up moved to Taz's side, zapper in each hand and February and Bug began scouting the area as was the role of a Schience officer. After a lot of pleading Up had allowed Bug to tag along under the conditions that he did not get in the way or put anyone in danger.

February ran her usual diagnostics. Checking the air for Oxygen and other, more dangerous substances while Bug peered warily round the large boulders peppering the landscape.

He heard a rustle and frantic clicking which sent him running back to Feb.  
>"There's someone over there." he told her, backing away slowly.<br>She swung her scanner in the direction Bug pointed, the blip on the screen confirming the presence of a life form almost immediately. The pair backed up as slowly as they dared as every instinct told them to run. They were being as silent as possible until February tripped on a rock, let out a small scream and broke into a run back to the ship.

"Oh, hey February." greeted Up as she skidded to a halt, out of breath with strands of her short hair plastered to her bright red face. "We've found the source of the problem." he gestured to a pile of charred hay next to the broken engine. Tootsie was stood beside it, looking a tad embarrassed as he comforted the still-smoking haystack.

For a moment February forgot why she had just sprinted back to the ship. Until...

"Life signs detected." Megagirl spun her upper body to an impossible position before following with her bottom half. Scanners fixed in the direction February had just run from. as the Rangers watched a dark shape moved in from the horizon. It shifted, flowing like a liquid down the slope towards the ship.

"Wha da hell is dat?" Taz spoke for the whole crew. Aiming her zapper at the dark shape.  
>"Woah there Taz!" Up pushed the barrel of her gun down "Le's jus see what they want firs'." he said firmly.<br>Taz was going to argue the point but there really wasn't time. While Up had been speaking the unidentifiable mass had gotten closer. Close enough for even Specs to see that it was actually more of a swarm. Hundreds of individual creatures moving together. Then, all at once, there was a loud series of clicks and noises and the swarm stopped a couple of metes from the ship.

"Hey, guys!" called a familiar voice "Look! More bugs!" a large orange insect squeezed it's way between a purple and green snail and a shiny black beetle that was taller than Up.

"Buggy!" February screeched, rushing towards him.

After that things were explained pretty quickly. With a little help from Bug acting as translator Up was able to assure the frightened insects of this new Bug planet that they meant no harm and only needed to be there long enough to get all of the hay out of the engine.


End file.
